1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to switches and, more specifically, to vehicle steering column mounted switches for controlling vehicle operating circuits and components.
2. State of the Art
The evolution of steering column switches in motor vehicles has been toward greater integration of functions in a single switch lever. Previously, a plurality of individual switches, each controlling a single vehicle function, i.e., turn signals, windshield wipers, headlights, etc., were mounted on the vehicle dashboard or steering column. Current steering column switch levers are designed to control a variety of functions for vehicle operating circuits or devices, such as turn signals and hazard lights, high beam and low beam headlights with optional flash-to-pass, parking lights, fog lights, windshield wiper and wash functions, including multi-speed wipers with or without intermittent delay.
Typically, a steering column stalk switch includes a single lever or stalk pivotally mounted on one side of a housing attached to the vehicle steering column in an easily accessible position for access by the driver of the vehicle. The lever is gimballed at one end in housing so as to move in one and typically two mutually separate planes. Further, the lever may be provided with a rotatable end cap, and/or a slidable member movable along the longitudinal axis of the lever to control additional vehicle operating circuits. An intermediate member on the lever may also be rotatable to control another vehicle circuit or device.
Actuators are mounted in the housing and, in response to movement of the lever in different directions or planes, rotation of the end cap, or movement of the slidable member, or rotation of the intermediate member on the lever, move a switching member carrying contacts between various switching positions to effect the switching of electrical connections for a particular vehicle operating circuit.
In some vehicles, particularly vehicles manufactured in Europe and/or Japan, two steering column stalk switches are provided, one mounted on the left side of the steering column and one on the right side of the steering column. The various vehicle operating circuits or devices described above are split between the two stalk switches, with the left stalk switch typically controlling vehicle headlight, parking light, fog light, flash-to-pass headlight operation, as well as turn signal operations. The right mounted stalk lever typically operates windshield wiper, mist and wash devices.
Further, transmission gear select levers, have been predominantly mounted on the floor of the vehicle to take advantage of the simplified mechanical linkages with the transmission located beneath the front center of the passenger compartment of the vehicle. However, the trend toward electronic transmissions enables the transmission gear select switch to be moved back on the steering column. This, however, can interfere with the right side mounted stalk switch due to the limited space available on the steering column and the need to provide non-interfering rotation and access to each of the stalk switch and the transmission gear select switch.
It is known to provide column mounted transmission gear shift levers with an end mounted, on/off toggle switch to control a selected vehicle control circuit or device, such as traction control, overdrive, etc. However, this switch provides only a single circuit function and not multiple functions as typically provided by steering column stalk switch levers.
Thus, it would be desirable to provide a steering column switch lever which can combine the functions of a transmission gear select lever and a steering column stalk switch containing switchable elements for controlling various vehicle operating circuits and devices into a single lever which provides the functions of the previous two levers at a much lower cost.